Increasingly more data is being stored on devices, particularly mobile devices. For instance, people may store personal data, and employees may store corporate data, governmental data, client-related data, intellectual property, and/or other sensitive forms of data on their devices. This sensitive data is put at risk when a device is lost, stolen, or compromised in some other manner.
To address this issue, techniques have been developed to protect sensitive data on devices. Conventional device data protection techniques typically rely on some form of user authentication, encryption, or a combination thereof. For example, a user may set up her device to require that a particular password or PIN be entered before data may be accessed on the device. Additionally, some devices enable users to encrypt files or folders stored thereon, which means that a code must be entered before a file can be viewed or copied. While such mechanisms can help protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, they are not foolproof. For example, a password mechanism will not work if the user is forced to give out her password against her will, or if the device is taken away while in active operation (i.e., after the user has already entered her password). Still other means may be used to overcome user authentication and encryption schemes. Once these data protection measures have been overcome, there is typically no way to protect the sensitive data from unauthorized access.
If a user determines that she is in a place where her device is likely to be stolen, she may be able to take active steps to protect the sensitive data. For example, the user may be able to input commands to her device to delete all the sensitive data therefrom. Depending upon the scenario, this may be necessary to protect the user's personal safety as well as the sensitive data. However, in many situations, the user will not be able to anticipate that her device will be stolen and thus will not take such steps. Even in situations where the user can anticipate a device theft, the user may not have sufficient time at her disposal to interact with her device to delete the sensitive data therefrom.